"Sexting" Not Really Enough for Those on Infidelity Website

Sexting and cybersex are no substitute for the real thing for those who are looking for sex outside of marriage or a monogamous relationship, according to research published today in Springer's journal, Sexuality & Culture.

The conclusion is based a new study by Diane Kholos Wysocki, from the University of Nebraska at Kearney, and Cheryl Childers, from Washburn University in Topeka, Kan. The two placed a survey on AshleyMadison.com, a website aimed at married people looking for sexual partners outside their marriage. A total of 5,187 adults answered questions about internet use, sexual behaviors, and feelings about sexual behaviors on the Internet.

According to the survey, women were more likely than men to engage in sexting behaviors. Over two-thirds of the respondents had “cheated” online while in a serious relationship and over three-quarters had cheated in real life. Women and men were just as likely to have cheated both online and in real life while in a serious real-life relationship.

Older men were more likely than younger men to cheat in real life.

In particular, the survey results indicated that respondents were more interested in finding real-life partners, both for dating and for sexual encounters, than online-only partners.